On a Dragon Wing and a Prayer
by Strawberry Eggs
Summary: Nah used to believe that she was a good judge of character. That changed as a certain tactician-in-training surprised her, her initial impressions of the boy altered. Their acquaintance became friendship, and that friendship something more, all while they learned more about the other and perhaps even help each other to grow a little. (Nah x Morgan)
1. A Different Impression

After pondering over this story, planning it out, and considering just forgetting about it several times, I finally decided to quit putting it off and actually work on it seriously. It's been nearly a year since the idea to do this came to me. I long ago noticed how, if ever slightly, Morgan and Nah acted differently around each other. Nah tended to be abrasive and snappy in her other supports. With Morgan, though, she is rather patient and gets along well with him, even in their C support. Morgan is also not as goofy as he can be in those supports. From there, I wondered how they would have acted before those supports. Was Nah perhaps less patient with him? How did he earn her trust? I got the idea to chronicle the start of their relationship as well as how they fell in love. While I will include at least part their supports, they won't be copied verbatim, and I will expand on them. This story will also contain some personal fanon (or "headcanon", as the kids like to call it these days) on the game world and the characters, but I'll avoid going overboard with it.

The main pairing is obviously Nah x Morgan(M), with Chrom x Female Avatar (Robin) and Nowi x Libra as background. There will also be some hints and mentions of other pairings I like. As far as **spoilers** are concerned, though it won't contain many for the game, **I would still recommend having finished Awakening before reading this**. I hope to get out at least two chapters a month or so, but I can't make any promises. Every time I do, I end up breaking them. Regardless, I hope to do this story, the characters, and this couple justice. I hope you all will enjoy and please, tell me what you think in a review. Tell me what I did well, what I did terribly, tell me if the title is as lame as I think it is, and yes, go ahead and nitpick about my grammar and typos. I go over my stories as thoroughly as possible, but there's only so much a single pair of eyes can find.

As a final note, the cover image was drawn by Len Barboza. You can find a link to her site in my profile.

* * *

**Chapter One - A Different Impression**

Nah used to believe that she was a good judge of character. People were easy to read, however, when they ignored you at best and hated you at worst. Traveling back over a decade into the past, a few years before she was born, changed that somewhat. Some members of the Shepherds were fairly transparent, but others, especially those who came from her time, surprised her more often than not.

Nah let out a sigh as she sat on the ground, her back against her tent. Her mother had finally stopped pestering her about playing together. Nah was very glad to have met her parents, even though they lived in another time, another world. While she felt a sincere affection for her mother already, the older manakete's childish antics irritated her.

She could not afford to behave like a child, despite her appearance. She needed to find her role, her niche, in this army. While the book she was reading was penned by a human, it offered some interesting insights into how to use dragonstones. The book contained less vital, but still fascinating information on manaketes as well. She knew little about her non-human heritage, having lost her mother while still an infant and not knowing any other dragonkin growing up. Sometimes she wondered if she was like Yarne, the last of an entire race, in the future. She heard rumors of small groups of manaketes, but these were only hearsay. She wished to speak to Nowi about manakete culture, or at least more about Nowi herself, but she found few opportunities to so far.

Lost in the book, she did not hear the approach of footsteps. She did hear a male voice say, "Oh wow! I didn't know we had a book like that."

Nah looked up to see a blue-haired adolescent in a purple cloak. The boy, Morgan, was crouched down slightly in order to better see the cover of the book she was reading.

"Oh, I guess it could belong to you," he continued.

"Do you always interrupt people when they're reading?" The blonde dragonkin asked as she narrowed her eyes.

Morgan stood up, then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Uh, yeah—I mean, no! Not usually, or at all!" he replied, flustered.

Nah had only known Morgan in passing, perhaps having spoken to him less than to her other companions from the future. She was on good terms with his sister, Lucina, but she and Morgan had never really interacted much. The young prince was always friendly, and his recent memory loss had not at all affected his amiable nature, it seemed. She wondered if he was this nosy before, however.

"In that case, I would appreciate it if you let me keep reading," Nah said with a frown. She held the book back up, covering her face.

The boy did not get the message, seeing as he continued to stand still in front of her. Though Nah couldn't see his face, he gave off a smell of confusing intent. He was not certain what to do. She felt like suggesting that he stand somewhere else, but before she could decide, Morgan spoke.

"I never really thought that stones would need a book to learn to use. It looks like you and your mother just hold your stones up, get enveloped in light, and in a flash of flower petals, you're dragons!"

Nah growled as she lowered her book again. Before she could snap at him, though, he continued to talk.

"But maybe there's more to it than that, huh? Maybe there's a special way to hold them? Or do you have to imagine the dragon and really concentrate on it? I wonder if such techniques could be used for unique strategies." The boy hummed in thought.

The half-manakete blinked. Morgan's scent became more distinct. He was genuinely interested and curious. Even if she did not have her dragonkin sense of smell, she could see the curiosity in his eyes. From what she remembered of him before his amnesia, Morgan had an interest in tactics. It seemed to have only increased after he lost most of his memories.

There was more to it than that, though. There was another intent mixed with his interest. Morgan wanted to get to know her; be friends with her. He was not just using her book as an excuse, and certainly did not want to mock her. Now that she thought of it, Morgan never struck her as the sort to make fun of others. He could be a mild nuisance, but that wasn't the same. Regardless, his intent intrigued her for some reason, and her initial annoyance subsided. Nah lowered her book and began to speak.

"This book is more for a single person to learn to hone dragonstone use than as any sort of group strategy. It also has general information on different types of dragonstones. It hasn't explained why there aren't any around anymore; at least that I've seen."

"Different types?" Morgan asked with a bemused look on his face, "Like what kinds? What do they do?"

"There are stones for each type of manakete. This book lists fire, ice, mage, and divinestones. Apparently, a divine dragon like me could use all of them and can turn into the corresponding dragon." Nah idly wondered if being half-human might have prevented that. She did not voice the concern, though.

"Ah, so you're a divine dragon, and your mother is too, I guess?" Morgan asked Nah nodded and he continued, "That sounds really important."

"I don't really know. I'm not sure why we're referred to as such. Naga is called the Divine Dragon, but I don't know how we're related, if at all." She had only learned about the different manakete tribes that day.

"Well, maybe you can ask your mother?" Morgan offered thoughtfully.

Nah nodded. She could also perhaps ask Naga as well the next time she prayed. Would a history lesson really be something she should badger a deity about, though?

"Still, it's amazing to know that there are other kinds of manaketes. I hope you meet one, or even get to turn into one someday!" Morgan said with a wide smile.

"We'll see," Nah said with a hint of one.

After a brief moment of silence, Morgan said, "I guess Mom got that book for you rather than for your mother. I don't think she's much of a reader."

"That's for certain. She would never be able to sit still long enough to read it," Nah said, her tone of voice dry as she recalled her mother scoffing at studying earlier that day.

The blue-haired boy chuckled. "Yeah, your mother is always running around and playing games."

The blonde girl let out a sigh. "I wish she would act her age. I tried to tell her how important it is to study, but she doesn't want to hear it."

She instantly regretted the mention about age. Morgan might say something along the lines of "you're one to talk," or that Nah looked like a kid herself. Despite her appearance, she was two or three years his senior.

Instead, the boy said, "How old is she anyway? A thousand years? You'd think she would know something that important by now."

"E-exactly," Nah replied, missing a beat, "I told her that we need to study and train to use our stones to the fullest. How else are we going to stop this time from becoming like our future?"

"It sounds more like you're her mother," Morgan said with a chuckle. At some point while they were talking, the prince had sat down cross-legged on the ground near Nah.

"Well, sure studying is important, as is training. I actually find studying to be fun," Morgan continued, "But I also think it's important to have other kinds of fun, too."

Nah narrowed her eyes, "Like playing games?"

"Well, that's part of it, although it doesn't have to involve running around until you pass out. There are board games, card games, word puzzles, novels, and other things. I'm willing to try anything at least once."

"So you're the adventurous type, then?" Nah asked.

The blue-haired tactician-in-training did not reply immediately as he mulled over what the half-manakete said.

"Sort of, I guess. I don't remember very much about myself, unless it has to do with Mother."

"Oh…I'm sorry, Morgan," Nah said as she cringed.

"About what, my memory loss? Na—uh, no, don't worry about it. I don't mind that much. Because of my amnesia, though, everything feels like a new experience. I might even learn a few things about myself."

Despite his slight stumble with her name, Nah could not help but smile with him.

"But anyway," he continued, "what I'm trying to say is that it's important to enjoy ourselves as well. We're still kids, after all."

Nah's mood dropped when she heard him say "kids," but she then realized he also said "we're." She was used to being thought of as a child and was usually irked by it. Lucina was one of the few people that she did not mind being treated as such. This, however, was not the same. Morgan considered himself a child, not just her.

"Oh right!" the boy suddenly remarked as he stood back up, "I was on my way to meet with father."

The blonde blinked, "With Chrom?"

"Yeah, for sparring, and I hope to help get my memories of him back. It hasn't worked so far, but you'll never know."

"Maybe it will work," Nah responded.

Morgan smiled, "It was great talking to you, Nah. See you around!"

"Bye, Morgan," she replied with her own smile before the boy walked off.

That was easily the longest conversation she had with the prince. He was an interesting person to be sure; a little odd, perhaps, but interesting. She was still mildly surprised at how her perception of him changed. She thought of him as optimistic to the point of immaturity and a little dense at times. He was all of those, but he was also thoughtful, considerate, and eager to learn, both in the sense of knowledge and about those around him.

Her talk with the boy was actually quite pleasant, despite how it was initiated. The notion of people not only minding her presence, but actively seeking her acquaintance was still strange and new to her. Her other companions from the future were nice enough, but she was not close to many of them. She found Morgan easy to talk to and very much genuine. She liked that.

"See you around," she said, though he was long out of earshot.


	2. Interrupted Game

**Chapter 2 - Interrupted Game**

If there was one thing Nah did not enjoy about the past, it was having to killed people. These were living, breathing, thinking humans, not the mindless hordes of undead she was glad to burn to ash. True, sapient races were not endangered in the past as they were in her time, and these were enemy soldiers. None of them were certain how, but the war against Valm had some bearing on Grima's resurrection, so them being there and aiding their parents was important. Even so, that reasoning did not completely keep those thoughts away. Nah was glad for the "break."

A few days ago, the army received a message that Tiki, the Voice of Naga herself, would perform a ritual in order to regain her power. She asked for the Shepherds to be there for the rite. Nah also had to admit that she was quite excited to meet Tiki. In her time, the Grimleal had assassinated the Voice. Tiki was a living legend, having known the Hero-King Marth and aiding him. Nah wanted to ask her so many things about manakete history and culture. She had her mother, and Nowi was relating her thousand-year-long life to Nah nightly. However, Nowi spent very little of her life among other manaketes and did not know enough to Nah's satisfaction.

Not that Nah blamed her mother. She had, after all, been kidnapped as a child and sold from person to person, treated no better than a circus animal. Nowi could not even remember where she came from—only that it was across the sea.

That reminded the blonde girl of how cruel life could be sometimes. Her father also had a tragic childhood, only his parents deliberately abandoned him, unlike Nowi or Nah herself. With what her parents went through, it seemed like fate that Nah would also grow up without her mother and father. She usually did not dwell on those thoughts, though. After all, Naga had given her this chance to get to know them, even if they were not exactly her birth parents.

With the lull in battles, the Shepherds had more time at camp after their marches. Now was an excellent time for Nah to get in some extra training with her mother. She wondered why it involved searching in the bushes for the green-haired manakete, though. Would she be looking for Risen and Valmese soldiers in the bushes, only to have them run away from her instead of attack?

_Think of it as training for ambushes…combined with endurance training_, the blonde thought. She said to her mother that she would trust her more. The older manakete had wisdom to her that she hid well; very well. Or at least, that's what Nah thought it was. The cynical part of her still thought of Nowi as incredibly childish and her moments of insights were just flukes.

It was, at least, a beautiful day for this game/training session. The wooded area was lush with foliage and warm rays of sunlight streamed through gaps in the trees. Even though Nah had been in the past for a few months, such natural wonders were still awe-inspiring to her. The large amount of shrubbery provided ample cover and the still wind prevented scents from being carried.

"Hey, Nah!"

The girl pulled her head out of the shrub she was investigating and looked in the direction the voice came from. She had not even realized that her search brought her close to camp. She saw Morgan, the voice in question, running over to her.

"Morgan?" Nah asked, then gritted her teeth.

"Did you lose something? The boy asked once her reached her.

"Um, well…" the half-manakete hesitated. While she and her mother trained away from camp to avoid disrupting activities there (upon Nah's insistence), it also helped to avoid awkward situations like this. For all intents and purposes, they were playing a game of hide-and-seek.

"Or maybe you're just looking for something?" he continued, not noticing her hesitancy, "I mean, something that you didn't lose."

Nah flushed a little and avoided looking him in the eye, "You could say that…"

Still oblivious to her nervousness, the blue-haired boy asked, "Do you want some help? What is it, anyway?"

Nah cringed. In a stern voice, she said, "I'm fine, Morgan, really. I don't need your help. In fact, I would rather you—"

A sudden loud rustle interrupted the girl. From several yards away, a green figure dropped from a tree, then quickly started running away from the two..

"Mother!" Nah exclaimed. Why didn't she think to look in the trees? Well, there wasn't any way she was chasing after Nowi now.

"Why is your mother running away from us?" Morgan asked. Looking up he continued, "And what was she doing up a tree?"

Nah could only stand there blushing with embarrassment. Finally she said, "Uh, you see…"

"Hey Nah!" Nowi called, having stopped running, "What's the hold up?"

Nah cringed again, "Mother, not now, please!" _Not in front of someone else_, she added in thought.

"He can play, too, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's not what I'm—how would he join in? Would I have to try to catch both of you?" Nah asked, flustered.

"Actually, it would be more interesting if you both tried to catch me. It'll be fun!" With that, the older started running again.

Nah made a groan of protest, but before she could voice her objections more discernibly, Morgan began to jog towards the direction her mother ran in.

"Morgan? What are you doing?"

He paused briefly to look at Nah and said, "You're mother said it's okay. Come on, we'll lose her!"

Despite all of the protests in her head about how absurd and embarrassing the situation was, Nah began to run as well. After all, Morgan was willing to join despite his puzzlement.

"So, it's tag, huh? Is there is a safe spot?" Morgan asked as Nah caught up to him.

The girl cringed and replied, "Yes. If Mother reaches that tall tree over there, she wins." She pointed to an oak that stood above the canopy.

Morgan nodded and said, "We won't be able to catch up to her in a flat run. I have an idea, though. Don't try and run after her, exactly. Run towards the tree so that Nowi will avoid it. Then try and chase her towards the east of the tree. I'll run over there and we can catch her in a pincer maneuver. "

Leave it to Morgan to think up an elaborate plan for a child's game. Still, his idea sounded quite clever. She imagined that while he wasn't a match for Robin, he took after his mother more than his father.

Nah increased her speed now that she did not have to hold enough breathe to speak and run at the same time. Maneuvering through the underbrush was difficult, but it also slowed Nowi down. Somewhat. The blonde girl reminded herself that she didn't need to catch her mother yet, just keep her away from that oak. While Nowi still had a good lead, Nah wasn't too far behind. Nowi started to turn away from her pursuer, but the girl kept running straight ahead. As Nah picked up her pace, Nowi turned to peer behind her, a look of puzzlement on her face. While bemused, she continued to angle away from Nah and the tree's path.

Nah was beginning to feel tired, but she still felt oddly invigorated. She wanted this plan to succeed and was excited that so far, it seemed to be working.

Once she judged that she was close enough to the giant oak, Nah began to run towards her mother to herd her eastward. In the back of her mind she wondered if Morgan had even made it to the point he said he would be, or if they'd even be able to catch Nowi. She could not watch where Morgan went or how fast he ran to get there. Still, she continued to pursue her mother, who at that point was laughing happily.

Just as the half-manakete mentally hoped that her mother would not start running back towards the tree, she saw the older manakete stop abruptly. Nowi turned around, looking slightly startled that her daughter was right behind her. Despite Nah's fatigue, the blonde increased her speed. She briefly noticed Morgan standing in a bush right in front of—now behind—Nowi, but she mostly focused on her quarry. Nowi started running again, but Nah was gaining fast, her mother's flapping cape just within reach. The half-manakete leaped, arms outstretched, and then caught the thousand-year-old. Both fell to the ground with a soft thud.

"Are you two okay?" Morgan asked as he jogged over to the two prone dragonkin. Nah panted as she stood up and got off of her mother's back.

"I'm fine," she told the blue-haired boy, "but, Mother, are you all right? I didn't land on you too hard, did I?"

Nowi sat up with an expression that was part grimace and mostly pout, "Hey, you're not playing fair by ganging up on me like that!"

Nah sighed, "Mother, you're the one who said it was okay for the both of us to chase you. You even said it would be fun."

"Yeah, well, it turns out that it's not fun, especially to be ganged up on!" As Nowi stood up and dusted herself off, Morgan chuckled.

"There's no better strategy than teamwork, ma'am. And you didn't make a rule saying we couldn't work together," the boy said.

Nah found herself smiling slightly at the prince calling her mother "ma'am." In spite of Nowi's true age, Morgan still looked a year or two older than her.

The green-haired manakete grumbled in an exaggerated way and crossed her arms. She soon relaxed her arms and laughed.

"You're Morgan, Robin and Chrom's son, right?" Nowi asked. The boy nodded, "I should have known you'd be good at this. Your mother is also good at planning and using her brain and stuff."

As Nah rolled her eyes, Morgan gave a light laugh and said, "Yeah, but I'm not nearly as good as she is."

"Well, if you aren't, I'm sure you will be soon!"

Nah smiled slightly. Her mother's good cheer and optimism could be contagious. It wasn't that long ago that Nowi exasperated her, and while on some levels she still did, Nah increasingly realized what sort of person the manakete was.

"Thank you for playing with us, Morgan," Nowi continued, "Nah looked like she actually had fun today."

The blonde flushed, "Mother!"

Apparently not noticing her embarrassment, Morgan said, "You don't have to thank me. I had a lot of fun."

"Huh? But…don't you think this is silly? It's just a game of hide-and-seek," Nah said. She knew the boy could be naïve to the point of goofy, but this seemed unreal to her.

"I guess it is a little kid's game, but I don't have many memories of playing those. I kind of remember playing with Mother, but I was really young then," Morgan replied.

"Oh…right," Nah said with a wince. Again she had to unintentionally bring up his amnesia. Morgan only laughed, saying not to worry about it. She could smell no intention to hide any preoccupation with his memory loss. Even so, Nah wondered if it bothered him more than he let on. Lucina once told her how he would bang his head against tomes and other objects in an attempt to get his memories back.

"But yeah," Morgan said, "because I don't remember playing games like tag and hide-and-seek, joining in with you two felt like a new experience. I was hoping it would help me remember something, too."

"Did it?" Nah asked.

"No, not really. But it was still fun," he replied, "Say, Nah, did we ever play together like that? In the future, I mean?"

The girl hesitated slightly. Morgan's jovial expression made her worry about his reaction, though she was not certain why.

"No. I hadn't come to Ylisstol until almost two years ago uh, I mean two years ago in the future, before we decided to come here." She spoke of the event as the past, but in the time period she was currently in, it would still be over a decade into the future. That could get rather confusing. Scholars of grammar would probably either get headaches or have a field day discussing the proper tenses as well.

"…Anyway," Nah continued, "I didn't know any of you as kids."

"Oh," the prince replied, "since I think everyone else has known each other for many year, I thought you did, too."

Nah didn't respond, unsure of what to say. While she did not dwell on it, there were times when she felt distant from the others, and not just because she did not grow up with them. Having someone else say that out loud made her feel a little awkward as well.

"Well, I'm kind of in the same boat. I used to be close to many of them, or so they tell me, but I don't remember it. I don't even remember anything about my own sister." There was a hint of melancholy on his voice.

"I guess…that is sort of similar," Nah replied. As she thought, his memory loss did bother him. She also mentally noted that in a sense, she knew them for longer than Morgan did. Morgan was anything but distant, however. He got along with the others quite easily, befriending, or perhaps "re-friending" most of them.

"So, who's hungry?" Nowi suddenly chirped, "Dinner should be ready soon."

The two younger individuals blinked. Morgan was the first to respond, "I guess I am. I hadn't noticed until now."

"Great!" Nowi said with a large smile, "Let's have a race! Last one to the mess tent is a used up dragonstone!" The green-haired manakete then took off in a dash.

"What? But!_—_" Nah gaped, suddenly being reminded of her fatigue.

"Yeah, I'm tired, too," the tactician-in-training said with a chuckle.

* * *

Nowi won that race easily. Morgan made his way over to the table his family sat at, but not before saying, "see you around, Nah," and being thanked again by her mother.

"Morgan sure is nice, huh?" Nowi asked after the boy was out of earshot, "His parents are, too, so I guess that's not really a surprise."

"I suppose he is," Nah replied.

"I'm glad to see you having fun with the others from your time. You're usually either with me, your father, or by yourself. At least now I know why."

"Uh…" was all the blonde could say.

"I know it can be hard to make friends, especially when you're not used to it. People can be scary. I had trouble, too, once."

"You?" she asked incredulously, "but you're always running around, getting anyone you can to play with you, and calling everyone friends."

"Well, sure, now I am. I used to be really scared of humans, though. It took me a long time to realize that there were plenty of nice people as well as scary ones."

"I see…" Nah said. While she did not ask, he could surmise why her mother had not always been so gregarious. Her years as a slave likely affected her view of humans for a long while afterwards.

"Anyway, it looks like you're already taking steps towards making friends," Nowi said, her tone kindly.

Nah flushed a little, "Morgan is really open with everyone. He's easy to talk to."

It was not as if the others shunned her or that she avoided them. Nah just was not all that close to them. She was well aware that they were much kinder than her foster family, but her time in that household still affected her. Their history as childhood friends did not help, and neither did the way that they sometimes treated her like a child. Morgan's exuberance and affable nature, though, made him hard to ignore.

And Nah found that she did not want to ignore him.

"I'm not sure if I could consider him a friend, though," Nah said, and she suddenly wish she had not let that thought slip. It made Nah feel awkward to openly state that she did not think of most of her other companions from the future to be close friends, especially in front of her mother.

"Morgan does," Nowi said with a wink.

The half-manakete hesitated. Morgan wanted to be her friend and it was not a stretch that he already thought of her as one. She was on good terms with the boy already.

Nowi chuckled and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Oh Nah, don't worry about it. I'm sure you two will be great friend."

The blonde blushed again, but she nodded.

"You know, I should get Morgan to play with us again since you liked it so much the first time," Nowi said, her voice changed from her kindly tone to her more common frivolous one.

"Mother!"


	3. On the Cusp of Memory

**Chapter 3 – On the Cusp of Memory**

Morgan prepared an Arcthunder spell, tome in hand. While both swordplay and magic required ample practice, the latter relied more on memorizing incantations and less on precise movements. Even so, Morgan found that practicing casting forms helped greatly for actual combat. He did wish he could use Thoron tomes for practice, but the books were too pricy to do more than memorize the arcane words.

The boy snapped his free arm upward. Several bolts of lightning surrounded a log on all sides. The bolts struck it at once, blowing the piece of wood apart.

"I trust that was a damp log this time."

Morgan turned towards the direction of his older sister's voice.

"Hey, I only used a dry log once. The fire didn't spread that much, anyway; these magic training fields are mostly bare soil and rocks for just that reason." His tone sounded annoyed, but he gave way to chuckling. Lucina smiled in turn.

"So, what brings you here, Sis?"

"Merely passing through; I am on my way to ask father or mother when the next war council is."

"Ah," the boy replied. An idea then came to him and he said, "Say, Lucina, I've never seen you use a tome before. Want to give it a try now?"

"You know I'm terrible at using magic, certainly not without practice…" Lucina began to say, but she trailed off upon seeing Morgan's bemused expression. She cringed and said,

"I'm sorry. I should have realized that that you wouldn't remember the last time I used magic. That was back in our time."

"Don't be sorry, Lucina. It's okay, really," Morgan said with his characteristic cheer. But since I don't remember the last time you used magic, how about you show me now? Maybe it'll help me help bring a memory or two back."

Morgan may not remember the past several years of having an older sister, but he already felt that he could read Lucina (mostly) well. Despite his assurance, she would still feel a tinge of guilt that she brought up his amnesia. She would gladly show off her lackluster magic skills if it would make her kid brother happy.

As if on cue, Lucina let out a sigh, though she still had a small smile on her lips. "I suppose I could. Don't be too disappointed, though."

"I'm sure you're not that bad, but thanks, Lucina," the boy cheered as he walked over to a small stack of tomes. Picking an appropriate red-colored Fire tome, he then handed the basic spell to his sister.

"Should I set up a target?" Morgan asked.

"Just a small one, please. This area may prevent wildfires from breaking out, but I would still rather not create too big a blaze."

Morgan chuckled, but did so, placing a small chunk of wood a fair distance away. Magical prowess was measured not just in strength, but control as well. An amateur could create a brush fire as easily as she could mere embers if unpracticed.

Lucina turned to a page, scanning over the vaguely familiar words. Once she felt she went over the spell sufficiently, she held the tome close to her chest. Lucina then quietly muttered the incantation before raising her free arm with a shout. A small-sized ball of flames materialized and flew across the training field. It crashed into the piece of wood, reducing it to a smoldering pile of ash.

"See?" Morgan chimed, "You're bad not all. Your control is especially good, for someone with no real magic training."

The young woman still had a slight look of surprise on her features, but responded, "My magic is no better than it was years ago."

"That might be, but it looks like you have some natural talent—" Morgan replied before stopping abruptly. A strange feeling had surged through the blue-haired tactician. It was a rare sensation—that of hazy familiarity.

"Perhaps, but I doubt I'll ever be all that skilled. Not even to your or mother's level," Lucina continued.

"And I guess practicing is out of the question?" Morgan asked, hiding his earlier shock.

Lucina shook her head, "I can bring out my full potential by concentrating on my swordsmanship. Versatility works well for you, but I would rather excel in one area."

Morgan nodded, "I can understand that. Having both specialists and people more adaptive fighting styles can be a boon on the battlefield. But still, I had a feeling you're better at magic than you give yourself credit."

With another small smile, Lucina said, "I had a feeling you would say that. I don't know if this is doing anything to help your memories, but this is all quite familiar to me."

"Well, it almost feels familiar, I guess," Morgan replied. It was not a lie; not entirely. However, he needed more of a jolt, and Lucina would not let him if she knew what he wanted to do. He had to end the conversation without raising her suspicion.

"I'm glad, even if it isn't much of a recollection. There's hope for your memories yet," Lucina said. She then frowned slightly and continued, "Ah, right, I must be going. I still need to inquire about the next council. Sorry to leave so abruptly, Morgan."

"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who distracted you, after all. See you later!"

After his sister walked far enough away, Morgan picked up a heavy tome and as discreetly as possible, made his way to the outskirts of camp. He hated to be deceptive, even slightly. However, a memory, or something like it, was just within reach. It was on the tip of his tongue, or whatever the brain equivalent of that phrase would be. They were rare, but Morgan would sometimes get a feeling of familiarity. Some were stronger than others, but they were almost never specific. He had gained a vague, general recollection of Lucina always carrying Falchion on her person. He also had recovered an indistinct memory of his father smiling at him.

While he wanted to believe that he was slowly recovering his memories, he also knew that he could have unintentionally created the recollections out of present experiences. After all, his sister carried Falchion wherever she went in the time they were currently in, and his father often smiled at him pleasantly. Morgan wanted something more specific and substantive, especially now that they were no longer strangers to him. These general, faint recollections and feeling of familiarity almost seemed as if his missing memories were toying with him. Surely, a good blow to the noggin would help pry that memory loose from the vice that was his amnesia. He hoped that it would be a clear one. True, his head-bashing attempts had not worked before, but he never tried right after one of these sudden feelings of familiarity.

After Morgan hurried over to a copse of trees, he slipped behind one, surely out of sight of anyone who happened to pass by, then proceeded to bludgeon himself with the book.

"Morgan!"

The sudden shout made the tactician-in-training drop the tome. He was not that far from camp, but he did not think he would be found out this quickly. Morgan kept his back up against the tree, though he knew full well that it would not deter the person who found him out. Sure enough, a small, blonde, pointy-eared girl walked hurriedly in front of him, a look of shock, disbelief, and concern on her face.

"Um, hi, Nah," the boy greeted sheepishly.

"What are you doing?" Nah exclaimed, though she chided herself before continuing, "Okay, so that's obvious."

All Morgan could manage was an "uh."

"Lucina talked about this, but I still can't believe you'd go this far to get your memories back."

"So…Lucina told you about this?" Morgan asked. He was almost never at a loss for words, but this was the first time someone other than a family member caught him trying to restore his memories through blunt force trauma.

"She warned all of us, although she told me more recently that you haven't tried something like this for over a month," Nah explained, "Until now, anyway."

"Yeah…I thought it might work this time. I feel like I'm about to remember something," Morgan replied.

Nah gave him a look of surprise, "You remembered something?"

"Sort of," he replied. The boy further explained what had just transpired, and how he felt a jolt to the head may knock those memories loose.

"Okay, I can kind of understand why you would think hitting your head would help. It must be frustrating."

Morgan nodded, "Exactly! I'm so close to a memory and—"

"But," Nah cut him off sharply, "you still can't sneak around and hit your head like that. You could really hurt yourself."

"I know, I know," Morgan said, only vaguely realizing he was being scolded like a child.

"So much for your amnesia not really bothering you, huh?" Nah said

Morgan rubbed the back of his head, flushing a little out of embarrassment.

"I try not to let it bother me, and I know I worry people when I do that, but well…If there's any chance I can get my memories back, I want to take it."

Nah hummed thoughtfully before she said, "You're either really good at hiding your intent, or you only feel strongly about your amnesia when you think you're close to getting a memory back."

Morgan blinked, "Huh?"

"Uh, disregard that. I'm just thinking out loud."

"Okay…" If she wanted to drop it, he should let her.

A brief moment of silence passed between them. Nah then said,

"This might be a dumb question, but why are you willing to hurt yourself over your memories? I mean, I would be frustrated, too, if I got amnesia, but I don't think I would go so far. You make friends easily, and you look like you get along well with your family. Or maybe you don't?" Nah paused for a moment and then said, "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to pry or anything."

Morgan shook his head, "No, it isn't like that. It did take me a little while to consider Lucina and my father as my family. Early on, I wanted to get my memories back so that they wouldn't be strangers to me. They don't feel that way to me anymore, though."

"If not, then why?"  
"Well…it's because they do feel like family to me. I'm not just calling Lucina and Father family because Mother told me to; I actually care about them. I mean, I care about everyone in the army at least a little, but it's different for family, you know? Mom means so much to me, and now so do Dad and my sister. I got to know who they are. It's because I care about them that I feel terrible that I forgot all of my memories with them and about them. It's like I let them down.

"Then there's our other companions. I sometimes don't realize that Owain is my cousin; I think of him more as a good friend. I apparently used to play Justice Cabal with him and Cynthia. I was friends with Yarne, too, and used to play with Inigo when we were little kids. I want to remember all of those memories, even if it means remembering that terrible future we came from."

Nah nodded in understanding, but she remained silent. Perhaps she was not sure of what to say.

"Although, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I am kind of glad that we weren't close in the future," Morgan said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Well…it's because I don't have to feel guilty about forgetting you. We actually became friends in this time. I got to know who you are instead of me re-learning things about you."

This made Nah blush and look away from the blue-haired prince.

"I'm sorry, Nah. Was that awkward?"

Looking back at him with a slight flush still in her cheeks, she said, "Oh no, that's not it. I just…what you said made me sort of happy."

"Really?"

Nah's blush returned as she tried to elaborate, though she mostly said "um" and "well." In the back of Morgan's mind, he thought that the short half-manakete looked darling while flustered.

"It's just that, uh,I guess I'm glad that you don't feel bad around me. You feel comfortable when you're near me." As she spoke, the blonde sounded less awkward and the red in her cheeks subsided. It seemed like she had more on her mind, but again, Morgan felt he shouldn't pry. Nah would tell him if she wanted to.

"I understand," Morgan said with a smile, "It makes me happy to make someone else feel better."

Nah nodded, "You're usually good at doing that, being Mr. Optimism and all."

Morgan chuckled, "Mr. Optimism? I guess I am, most of the time. Not always for the memory thing, though."

A brief look of worry crossed Nah's face as she said, "I-I'm sorry. That didn't really come out right."

The prince smiled, "I feel like I'm saying this a lot today, but don't worry about it. It is true that I usually look on the bright side of things. The way I see it, I don't have time to feel bad or be depressed, not with how new so many things seem new to me. But sometimes, I think about the memories I lost with the people I care about. I know I shouldn't dwell on it, but I do."

"We all have our worries, especially because of this war" said Nah, "I am glad you felt like you could share yours with me."

"Well, I can't exactly hide what you just saw," Morgan chuckled again, "And besides, we are friends. I feel like I can talk to you about anything."

Nah flushed again, but she also smiled.

"Thank you, Nah, for listening."

The blonde shook her head. "You don't have to thank me. We're friends, like you said. And as your friend, I'm telling to stop bashing your head in to jog your memories."

"Hey, I know just how hard to hit myself so I don't get too dizzy. You don't have to fret about that."

"Morgan!"

"I'm just kidding. I know," Morgan laughed, "It's not liked it's worked before." Nah laughed lightly as well.

As the two continued to stand near the copse of trees, Morgan thought to himself about what he said earlier. He hadn't realized before why he considered Nah to be a very good friend, even if she was a new one. Morgan had many friends, even if he had forgotten his memories with and about them. Nah was special, though and he recognized why. In some ways, their friendship was easier, seamless; he valued that. He valued his other friends greatly, but he was glad to not have to worry around her about a forgotten past. She was also smart, blunt (which he liked), and funny.

Yes, Nah was special, and he enjoyed making new memories with her.

* * *

AN: And that was the long overdue chapter three. :P I would have come out with it sooner, but I kept writing and re-writing this one. I thought I had a good idea as to what to do with this chapter, but I kept adding and taking away scenes and lines. _Bravely Default_ and finishing the support log in _Awakening_ might have added to that delay as well. I feel this chapter might be a bit boring despite how long I took on it, but you, my dear readers, can tell me if I'm right or if I'm just being hard on myself.


	4. Prayer

**Chapter 4 - Prayer**

Nah was kneeling on the ground next to her father, their heads lowered and their hands clasped together. Prayer seemed to be an unusual way for two people to spend their time together, but Nah found it unique to their situation. Nah was not very devout when she was younger and she rarely heard Naga's voice in the future. She did not resent Naga for the state of the world, but it was still disheartening to realize that even the great Divine Dragon could do nothing to save it. Despite that, after losing the Vert gem, Nah prayed constantly to Naga. With no way to perform the Awakening, she felt she had to do something to help other than killing endless Risen. Hearing Naga tell her of the ritual to send them to the past restored her faith, and then some. Nah thought that praying to the Divine Dragon was the least she could do.

Meeting her father also motivated her to pray more often. It amazed Nah that Libra was so devoted to Naga and the other gods despite not being able to hear her. Granted, this was true of any religious human, but her father was a monk. If any human could hear the voice of Naga, should it not be him? Was he bothered, or even jealous, that his wife and future daughter could hear the Divine Dragon? Nah had to admit, though; she could not imagine Libra ever being jealous or resentful.

The effeminate monk stood up, his prayers finished, while Nah continued to kneel. The half-manakete often spent longer praying than Libra, as she saved her session with Naga for last. She was not as keen on the gods other than Naga, but perhaps they had their reasons for not speaking directly to mortal. She would still show respect and offer up prayers to them.

"I shall see you later, my dear," Libra said, "I trust that you will have a pleasant commune with Naga." He smiled at the girl. She never told him the reason why she stayed praying a while longer after him, but it must have been easy to guess.

"Father?" the girl asked as he began to walk out of the tent.

"Yes?" he asked after he turned around.

"Does this…" Nah trailed off, hesitating, "Does this trouble you?"

"Does what trouble me?"

"I mean, not trouble you per se," Nah continued, trying to be subtle with her words. She knew she had a habit of being blunt, "That is…if you ever want me to ask Naga something for you, I would not mind."

Libra gave his daughter a slightly bemused look. "I have nothing in mind…What brought this on?"

"Well, I can actually speak to her and you can't despite being a clergyman…uh," Nah said, then winced. That did not come out the way she had hoped.

"Ah I see. You believe I am envious of you and your mother."

"Um…maybe a as a passing thought," Nah admitted, looking downcast.

Libra walked back to Nah, then crouched next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"While I do appreciate your concern for my feelings. I am not envious of your prayers to Naga. I understand that she was of the dragonkin, as you and your mother are. You have certain abilities inborn to you. Even if I am unable to hear Naga's words, I know how she cares for humanity and watches over us."

"I see," was all she said at first. She could sense his sincerity in his words and in his intent. He really did not see the manakete's ability to commune with Naga directly as an unfair disadvantage.

_I should know my father better than that_, Nah thought, _He's one of the kindest people I know._

"She does hear you, Father, when you pray," Nah continued, "She may not be able to respond to them directly, but she does hear you."

Libra smiled warmly at her and said, "I already knew that." He smoothed her golden hair that she inherited from him. With that, Nah bid her father good-bye, then he left the tent. She then clasped her hands back together, lowered her head, and closed her eyes.

"Great and wise Naga, heed my prayer," Nah said reverently. While it was not necessary, as Naga could hear her thoughts, she felt it showed the Divine Dragon proper respect to speak that phrase aloud. Humans often mixed speaking out loud and thinking their prayers to the gods, so she did likewise. As with many things, she did not know how or if manaketes differed in their worship practices from humans. Nowi rarely prayed and she told Nah that she mostly forgot how her own parents did it. What she recalled did not seem different from human ways of praying.

"Nah! Are you all right?"

The half-manakete lifted her head. She did not think she was that absorbed in the prayer, but only then did she notice Morgan's presence. He was standing by the tent flap.

"Um, yes? Should I not be?" she replied with a puzzled look on her face.

"You were hunched over! Are you sick?" Morgan had a rare expression of worry. She did not think that she looked like she was in any distress.

"…No, I was praying."

The boy blinked, "Praying?"

"Yeah you know, as in prayer? An invocation to a deity? You've never heard of it before?"

"No… I have," Morgan replied, though he seemed to mull over his words a little, "It's strange, though. I can't remember seeing anyone pray before."

"Maybe it's because of your amnesia?" Nah suggested. Now that she thought about it, there was not much prayer being done in the future, even by Brady, a priest by vocation. There was all of those times she prayed to Naga before she finally heard her voice again, but Nah could not remember a specific instant of doing so near Morgan.

"I guess. I remember my name, how to use a sword, cast spells, and all about Mother, but I had to ask Lucina when my birthday is and what my favorite food and color are."

"Huh, that is kind of odd in how specific your amnesia is," the blonde said, "It's probably for the best that you did not forget everything."

"Yeah, imagine if I forgot how to read or eat with a fork," the boy said, then laughed.

Nah smiled. She knew he took his memory loss harder than he let on, but his laughter was not forced.

"So, how do you pray, then?" the prince asked.

Nah showed him and explained how Naga could speak directly to the manaketes from time to time. He was amazed by this, and amused that the Divine Dragon lectured Nah about her habit of staying up late at night. She also told Morgan about her perpetual prayer for happiness and peace. Ever the optimist, the prince suggested that the reason the deity never responded to those prayers was because she did not want people to rely on divine intervention.

It was something Nah thought about, but never voiced aloud. Naga did often say that she was not a god. Naga's power had limits, though the younger half-manakete did not entirely know what they were. Even so, Naga was the protector of the world and she had done many incredible things, not the least of which was to devise a ritual to send them to an alternate version of the past. If she was not a divinity, she was surely the closest thing to one. It could not hurt to keep asking her.

_He is an astute young man_, Nah heard Naga's voice say in her head. It was rare for the Divine Dragon to speak to Nah outside of prayer, though it was usually shortly afterwards, much like at that moment.

"Oh, that reminds me, you said you are a divine dragon and so is Naga. Did you ever find out what that completely meant?" Morgan asked.

"I haven't learned much more than before," the blonde replied with a sigh, "Mother said that we are of the same manakete tribe as Naga and Tiki. She thinks divine dragons are very rare, but she is not sure. I wanted to talk to Tiki about manakete history, but she has not had the time to."

"So…Naga is a manakete and a goddess? Or was she a manakete who turned into a goddess?" Morgan asked.

"That's…" Nah trailed off with a frown, "I'm not sure. I never thought of it like that before."

"I guess it makes a little sense. The word 'divine' does have to do with gods and holy things," the blue-haired boy mused, "When you think of it like that, a divine dragon manakete becoming a god is not that much of a stretch."

"Maybe? It doesn't seem to apply to all divine dragon. Tiki is revered, but she's not a god. I don't feel godly, but I don't really know what that would feel like, anyway," Nah said, voicing her thoughts, "If I were, would I be able to use my powers to help Naga and save our future?"

"You probably couldn't use those powers to spoil us mortals, anyway," Morgan quipped.

The girl nodded and replied, "And I wouldn't have met you." Nah winced, suppressing a blush. She hastily added, "All of you." Nah briefly wondered why saying that embarrassed her. If Morgan noticed her awkward response, he did not show it. Nah still could not tell if her was being polite or oblivious at times like that.

"Exactly! I prefer to keep a positive attitude—but you probably guessed that by now," Morgan said with a chuckle.

"Mm-hmm," Nah agree with a smile, "You're always so gung-ho and optimistic."

"Better to have more hope than less, I always say!"

"No arguments there!"

* * *

AN: Oh gods, I am SO sorry this chapter took so long! While it has been a busy several months, I'm still shocked and ashamed that I took almost a year to update this story. What's worse is that part of the reason for the delay is that I wanted to make up for my lack of updates with two or more chapters, but that plan completely fell through. I'm not sure if this chapter was worth the wait at all, even if it is an altered Morgan/Nah C-support. Also, redundant title is redundant.

My sincerest and deepest apologies, my dear readers. I wish I could promise to never do that again, but I will make an effort not to, at least. For those of you who have come back to read this, I really appreciate it. Again, I wish I could guarantee that I will update more regularly, but I can at least say I have not abandoned this fic. I do hope, regardless, that you have enjoyed this dialogue-heavy chapter. Please review and yes, feel free to chastise me for taking so bloody long.


	5. Comrades and Friends

**Chapter 5 - Comrades and Friends**

There were times when being blunt was necessary.

"This is the stupidest idea I have every heard in my life."

This was one of those times.

"What? Really?" The ginger-haired pegasus knight looked bewildered. How could she possibly be that surprised that someone would not want to be mocked? On top of being made fun of, she would waste a valuable tool in the process.

Nah growled loudly and exclaimed, "This conversation is over!" She then proceeded to stomp away.

"What? Aw, Nah! Don't go!" Cynthia called, "Hey! Come back!"

Nah turned her head to see Cynthia begin to jog towards her. The smaller girl hurried her pace, but Cynthia only followed suit. Nah gradually moved faster and before long, she was running away from the pursuing young pegasus knight . The two ran through the war camp, getting puzzled looks from those they passed by. Among them were Cynthia's parents.

"Why are you two running?" Sumia called out. She just got the sentence out, though. As she kept her eyes on the two girls, she did not watch her footing and soon tripped over a clod of dirt. Nah barely noticed Gaius helping his wife back up when she thought, _Cynthia is almost as much of a klutz as her mother is. Could I use her lack of coordination to shake her off somehow? _

The half-manakete then saw Severa not too far off, apparently walking towards the cooking area. Nah made a quick decision, and then changed her course. She ran closely past Severa.

"Hey! You almost bumped into me!" The auburn-haired mercenary shouted, "Where are you going in such a rush any— "

Severa's protest was interrupted by Cynthia, who barreled into her and sent them both crashing to the ground. Nah glanced back briefly to see one pigtailed redhead shout at the other, and then hurried away from the scene.

Once she felt she was safe enough, Nah picked the nearest tent to sit against and catch her breath. She certainly did not expect that to escalate so much.

_Well, Cynthia only has herself to blame_, Nah though, _As for Severa, I may have to keep my distance from her for the next two or so days. I never got on her bad side before, and I don't want to start now._

"Oh Nah! Did you really want to start practicing and rushed over here? I know I'm not late."

The blonde turned to see Morgan standing by the tent flap. It took her a few moments to piece everything together. She was supposed to start training using tomes with him that day. She thought, and the boy agreed, that it would be a good idea to learn some magic. There could come a time that she would have to fight without dragonstones. She had some competency with axes, but she also had a surprising attitude for magic. Her mad dash away from Cynthia had coincidentally brought her to the blue-haired boy's tent.

"Gah I can't believe it! Cynthia made me forget about our training entirely!" Nah growled.

Morgan blinked, "Cynthia?"

The girl let out an exasperated sigh. The cynical part of her thought that she should tell Morgan as he may pester her about it. Mostly though, she felt comfortable telling him.

"Cynthia has been bothering me about turning into a dragon a lot lately. First, she wanted to stand on my head like some kind of stage prop. Then when she seemed to understand why I hated the idea, she wanted me to play the 'queen of darkness' in some idiotic skit."

Morgan chuckled at the last part. Nah glowered.

"See? Even you're laughing at it and I haven't actually done it!"

"Well, you're one of the last people I would expect to be the queen of darkness," Morgan said after he finished laughing.

The girl narrowed her eyes, unsure of what to make of his statement.

"Because I look like a little kid?"

"Uh, no. Not exactly. I guess you do look a little younger than me, but you're a manakete, or half-manakete. I thought that since manaketes age slower, you're actually about my age," Morgan explained.

"…Yes, I'm about that old." Nah replied a little hesitatingly. She was still cautious about discussing her age with Morgan. Even if she did not think he would scoff or laugh at her, he may have found it hard to believe that she was a little older than he was.

"Even if you were younger than me, size and age wouldn't matter to a ruler of evil. Such a being could be able to change its form, and taking the shape of a child could be used to their advantage in many ways. They could use it as a disguise, or to make the do-gooders underestimate their power, or trick them into taking pity on them."

Nah smiled at the prince's elaborate explanation. She then said, "And you don't think that could be me?"

"Not at all! You're too kind, smart, and thoughtful to be any kind of queen of darkness."

It was such a simple statement, but he said it with a bright smile that caught her off guard. There was that embarrassed-yet-happy feeling again. The warmth in her chest felt like it radiated to her cheeks, too. How did he keep doing this to her? Nah endeavored not to look away from him, though she needed to change the subject before he noticed her blush.

"A-anyway, I don't know why Cynthia is so persistent. Does she think making fun of me would be that fun?" Nah let out another sigh.

Morgan blinked again, "Why would Cynthia make fun of you? That doesn't sound like her at all."

"Well, why else would she be doing all of this to me?" Nah asked.

"I'm not sure…" Morgan admitted, "Cynthia can be very enthusiastic, but she means well. She's cheerful and nice to just about everyone. I think she's even trying to get along better with Severa."

_Today was kind of a setback on that_, Nah thought wryly.

"I doubt she would be mean to you on purpose, and I've never seen her make fun of someone," the blue-haired boy continued, "Uh, except for maybe Severa. I'm not too sure on that."

"Well, maybe it's just easier for her to mock the obvious half-human mongrel," Nah deadpanned.

"That's…very harsh," Morgan responded with a grimace. It was then that the girl fully realized what she said to him. She instantly wanted to take those words back.

"Is that how you see yourself? Or do you think other people do?" he asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"Uh…that's…" Nah hesitated. So many thoughts raced through her head, some of them conflicting. She did not want him to see that side of her. Just what is he thinking? What if this drove him away? She did not want him to worry. Was he actually worried, or did her quiet outburst make him uncomfortable?

The prince broke the silence again by saying, "I can tell you now: I never once thought of you that way. I think it's incredible that you're half-manakete. It's something you should be proud of!"

Nah stood wordless as she took in what he said. She knew his statement should not surprise her. Truth be told, she did not really believe anyone in the army saw her as a half-breed freak anymore. To hear him say it aloud solidified the sentiment, though. It also made her feel happy again. However, she hesitated as to how to respond.

_Just be honest with him._

"I…I know that. And I am proud of both sides of my family. It's just that…" Nah paused, "everyone else from the future are either family or grew up together."

"Oh right. You told me you had only known us for about two years," Morgan recalled.

"Exactly. Everyone treated me fairly when I first joined them, and still do now. Nevertheless, I could still see how close you all are. Seeing that, and being half-manakete, I felt like an outsider. I wasn't sure what they thought of me, so I suppose I assumed the worst. That's why I never really got to know any of you that well before."

"So that's why I rarely see you with anyone other than your parents," Morgan mused, "What about now? We spend a lot of time together. I'd like to think that we're close friends."

"But you get along with everyone," Nah said, trying to lighten the conversation with a chuckle, "Things are different now, and I consider you a friend, too. I don't believe anyone thinks of me as some freakish outsider. At worst, they treat me like a kid. I guess old habits just die hard. That's why I thought Cynthia was trying to mock me."

That had always been in the back of her mind. It felt strange to be so open about her insecurities. It was oddly comforting as well.

"That's definitely a start," Morgan said, "You don't have to be so cautious around the others. We're not just comrades-in-arms; we're all friends, and everyone is a good person in their own way."

_We're all friends_…Nah echoed in thought. Of course, Morgan would believe that. Yet he was not entirely wrong in his sentiments. She was coming around to see that. She spoke with Lucina more often and more amicably. She had been spending more time with Robin whenever she accompanied the half-manakete on her forest rampages. She had also, without making a deliberate decision, accepted Morgan's friendship.

_Now that I think about it, all three of them are Ylissean royals. That's an odd coincidence._

"Well…it's not going to happen overnight or anything, but you do make good points. I'll at least try to get closer to them," Nah said. She suppressed a cringe at the thought of befriending Cynthia and being used as a dragon-shaped stage.

"Now that's what I want to hear!" the boy chimed.

The blonde girl smiled and said, "Thank you, Morgan, for the advice."

"Aw, think nothing of it! I didn't really do anything special."

_Yet you did, and this wasn't the first time, either._

Nah didn't voice her thoughts and instead said, "So then, do we still have time for magic practice?"

* * *

AN: Yep, that was another unnecessarily long gap between updates. Though to be fair (to myself), I literally got this chapter up in half the time I did the last one! I want to say that I'll be sure to get the next chapter finished and posted in much less time, but I keep breaking that promise, so I'm not going to make it. I do hope that you'll look forward to it, as I'm going to have fun with it. For now, though, tell me what you think of this chapter.

I normally don't do random chitchat, but I may as well pose a question to anyone who cares to respond. I'm sure we're all looking forward to Fire Emblem: Fates next year, but what about Genei Ibunroku #FE? For those who don't know, it's the Wii U tile formerly called Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem. Yes, the game has turned out to be very different from what everyone was expecting, but I'm actually excited for this game. It's a unique premise, much more original than just putting characters from both franchises in the same game together ala Project X Zone. The battle system also looks like it will be a ton of fun. I know I'm not alone in looking forward to Genei Ibunroku, but considering the Internet Backdraft I've seen, it sometimes feels that way.


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